thumb|250px|right|Okanagan Lake winds between Kelowna (foreground) and Westbank (background).

Okanagan Lake () is a lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. The lake is long, between wide, and has a surface area of 348&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> (135 sq. mi.).

Hydrography

Okanagan Lake is called a fjord lake as it has been carved out by repeated glaciations. Although the lake contains numerous lacustrine terraces, it is not uncommon for the lake to be deep only offshore.

Major inflows include Mission, Vernon, Trout, Penticton, Equesis, Kelowna, Peachland and Powers Creeks.

The lake is drained by the Okanagan River, which exits the lake's south end via a canal through the city of Penticton to Skaha Lake, whence the river continues southwards into the rest of the South Okanagan and through Okanogan County, Washington to its confluence with the Columbia.

The lake's maximum depth is near Grant Island (Nahun Weenox). There are three other islands: one known as Rattlesnake Island, much farther south by Squally Point. The other two are near Grant Island. They are unnamed and are located just north of the north-point of Whisky Cove at Carrs Landing. Some areas of the lake have up to of glacial and post-glacial sediment fill which were deposited during the Pleistocene Epoch.

thumb|sternwheeler Aberdeen on Okanagan Lake, sometime between 1893 and 1895

Vessels

  • (freight)
  • (luxury-class passenger service)
  • (luxury-class passenger service)
  • (luxury-class passenger service)
  • (sternwheeler)
  • SS Naramata (excursion and water-taxi)
  • (Fintry Queen, excursion and water-taxi)
  • - 1950-1960 (Bowen Queen 1960–1965, MV Vesuvius Queen 1965–1998)<!--Kelowna-Westbank ferry?-->
  • (steel ferry)
  • (steam tug)
  • (steam tug)
  • (ferry)
  • (ferry)
  • (1919 ferry)
  • (1923 ferry)
  • Canadian National Tug no. 6 (diesel tug)
  • Canadian National Tug no. 5 (tug)
  • MV Kelowna-Westbank (ferry)
  • (1912 ferry)
  • (1906 ferry)
  • (ferry)
  • (ferry)
  • Colleen (rowboat)
  • (ferry)
  • (ferry)
  • (ferry)
  • (tug)
  • (early steamship)
  • Ruth Shorts (rowboat)
  • (early steamship)
  • (early steamship)

Landings

  • Penticton
  • Naramata
  • Peachland
  • Summerland
  • Okanagan Mission
  • Kelowna
  • Okanagan Landing (Vernon)
  • Fintry
  • Carr's Landing
  • Ewing (Ewing's Landing)
  • Killiney Beach

<!--and others-->

Recreation

Many parks and beaches are found along the shores of the lake, which make boating and swimming very popular activities.

The lake is home to several species of fish, including rainbow trout and kokanee. It is said by some to be home to its own lake monster – a giant serpent-like creature named Ogopogo.

A submarine was specially used in 1986 by the Okanagan Center society.

Images

<gallery>

File:Maude Roxby Wetlands sunset.jpg|Maude Roxby Wetlands sunset

File:Okanagan Lakeshore at Boyce-Gyro Beach on a Winter Afternoon.webm|Boyce-Gyro Beach on a Winter Afternoon

File:Swimmers in Peachland.jpg|Swimmers in Peachland

File:Half Way Bay on Lake Okanagan during Golden Hour in Winter.webm|Half Way Bay during Golden Hour in Winter

File:Okanagan Lake.jpg|Clouds over Okanagan Lake

File:Okanagan Submarine 1986.png|Okanagan submarine; 1986. The Henry D. Reddecopp

</gallery>

See also

  • Okanagan Falls
  • Okanagan people
  • Okanagan Trail
  • List of tributaries of the Columbia River
  • Skaha Lake
  • Ogopogo

References

  • Bacon Magazine: The Ogo Pogo
  • Okanagan Lake History website
  • Gallery of Okanagan Lake steamboats